2013 ISA World Masters: Day 2 Highlights

Amazing conditions continued during Day 2 of the 2013 ISA World Masters Surfing Championship with 4-6 feet waves in beautiful Montañita, Ecuador. Day 2 featured the opening rounds of the Kahunas (over 45), Grand Kahunas (over 50), Women’s Masters (over 35), and Qualifying 2 of the Masters (over 35) and Grand Masters (over 40).

Australia’s Layne Beachley was on fire today scoring a near perfect heat with a 19.87, including the contest’s first perfect 10-point ride. Beachley’s back up score was a 9.87. The 2011 ISA Women’s Masters Champion and 7x ASP World Tour Champion easily defeated Andrea Lopes (BRA, 11.27), Heather Clark (ZAF, 9.80) and Veronique Hayon (FRA, 4.16). “The waves were amazing today and the performance level from the world’s best Masters was just as good,” said ISA President Fernando Aguerre. “The camaraderie on the beach between all the National Teams and the local Ecuadorians is putting out a great vibe. Wave conditions are expected to continue in the head-high range tomorrow, so don’t miss a minute of the live webcast.”

Of special note in the Grand Kahunas division was the lone competitor from Dominican Republic, Robert Reid, who advanced to the next round with a second place and a score of 6.94 along with Jose de Tramontana (PER, 7.27) who earned the victory. Reid was not as fortunate in his Kahunas match up, where he placed 3rd and will be surfing in the Repechage, where he will get one last chance to advance.

In the afternoon, the Masters and Grand Masters hit the surf. It was a rematch from last year’s Masters Finals, and Venezuela’s Magnum Martinez took another big win over Sunny Garcia with a score of 14.17 over the Hawaiian’s 13.77. His Venezuelan teammate, Justin Mujica, put on a great performance when he earned the highest heat total of the round with 16.50, squeezing a close victory over former ASP World Tour competitor, Jake Spooner (AUS,15.37).

One of the most action packed heats of the day was the stacked Grand Masters Qualifying 2, heat-3. It featured the defending ISA Grand Masters Champion Sunny Garcia who placed 1st with a 17.10 heat score defeating Santiago Di Pace (ARG, 14.60), Juan Ashton (PRC, 12.60), and Wayne Monk (ZAF, 11.90). For 4x ISA Gold Medalist Ashton, this was a tough defeat, however he gets another chance in the Repechage.

The ISA World Masters Surfing Championship resumes tomorrow at 7:40am with The Morning Show hosted by Mark Fewell. His guest will be the standout of Day Two, 7x ASP World Tour Champion and 2011 ISA Women’s Masters Gold Medalist, Layne Beachley.

Venezuela’s Mannum Martinez at Montañita, Eciador on day 2 of the ISA World Masters Surfing Championship. Photo: ISA

About the International Surfing Association
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. It was originally founded as the International Surfing Federation in 1964 and has been running the Open Division World Championship since 1964, the World Junior Surfing Championship since 1980, the World Masters Surfing Championship since 2007, the World Bodyboard Championship since 2011, the Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival in China, and the World Standup Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship beginning in 2012. The ISA also sanctions the World Kneeboard Titles and the World Tandem Surfing Championship, and will launch the World Longboard Championship in 2013. ISA membership includes the surfing National Governing Bodies of 73 countries on five continents. Its headquarters are located in La Jolla, California. It is presided over by Fernando Aguerre (Argentina), first elected President in 1994 in Rio de Janeiro and re-elected seven times since. The ISA’s four Vice-Presidents are Alan Atkins (AUS), Karín Sierralta (PER), Debbie Beacham (USA) and Layne Beachley (AUS).